Turkey hunting - Head shots vs. Body shots ?

In getting started with turkey hunting a few years ago, the common themes of discussion were along the lines of head shots...I followed suit, lucked out and got a couple that way, life is good. But always being interested in experimenting with something new and different, I've been wondering about gearing up for body shots on turkeys this year, instead of head shots.

In spite of the occasional comment about turkey wings being like a flak jacket...which I could accept if using smaller lighter shot like #6...I know of people who take them using #4's for body shots...so it would seem that #2's or #3's would even do an even better job. And better still could be the larger actual "T" size turkey pellets...then augmenting that size/weight by using copper or nickel plating to slip through plummage even easier would provide another level of advantage.

So if proper size/weight/type shot is used to defeat any concerns about protection from the wings, I can't see why in the world body shots couldn't be as effective...personal preferences for head shots aside...any objective thoughts or comments on this alternative approach?

Legal requirement in KY to use smaller than #4. “Safety” reasons is what I was told when I asked about a change to allow ML rifles of less than .41.

I have been addicted to the “spring fever” for a little over thirty years. I have killed turkey with #4, 5, 6 , 7 ½ shot. While a larger size shot would be effective for body shots, I prefer the anchoring shot of breaking the neck or penetrating the skull. When possible I try to avoid shot in the breast. Using larger shot in the body could make a mess of the meat, which is my primary objective in getting the bird.

Certainly body shots will work with the larger shot sizes. However, you'll have to deal with the prospect of biting into shot when the bird is served!

We have a max shot size of #2 for shotguns. Not sure how effective #2 would be on a body shot.

A turkeys vitals are only about the size of your fist, so one needs to have a dense enough pattern to place shot in "the fist" and a large enough shot to penetrate through the vitals.

Just talkin to myself mostly.

In the fall we can use rifles but I never seem to have time to waste on turkeys during the deer and elk seasons.

Our only restriction for turkey in NC is we can't use rifles...no shot size criteria for shotguns.

So if single tiny .310"/.350"/.395" balls out of Flintlocks were OK "back in the day"...wonder if a few .310"s out of a .54cal smoothbore to the body vitals might be an interesting alternative, compared to a load of #6's making a head only shot...or a load of BB size shot out of a .62cal

Interesting. This wouldn't be legal in Indiana, but, that's not what you are after. Objectively, if I were to try this, I would go for a shot in the back to get into the vitals quicker. Remember that the vitals are lower than a lot of folks would imagine. Good luck with this Roundball. Let us know your results if you go for it.

I think those tiny balls would work great. Just a matter of establishing the pattern and max effective range.

Just for something to do at the range a few years ago I experimented with .440s and .490s out of a .62cal.....used two 3/4" wide strips of index card, arranged like a "+" sign on the muzzle, then inserted the balls down.

There was so much off-set stagger stack that the four little .440s went veering off in separate directions...but three .490s stacked much closer to vertical and consistently gave 3"-4" groups at the 40yds I tried them...so I know the concept works.

.310s may be too small in a .54 and have too much off-set stagger like the the .440s had in the .62cal. Doing the math I may have to use .395s...they should stand up similar to the way the .490's did in a .62cal.

Alternatively, some large heavy shot like BBB or T would also be good to experiment with...then run pattern / penetration tests to determine max distance. Even if nothing usable comes out of it, I'll learn something fiddling with it :grin:

I have knocked several from the sky with buckshot while deer hunting, never recovered a single one.
give it a try, i bet you go back to head shots!
Just my two pennies worth! :v

the only down side to a body shot with larger shot would be damage control to the breast meat...were do you plan your point of impact to be ?

I would guess low and under the tail feathers but then you may tag the legs?

with my bow I look for a texas heart shot or base of the neck

interesting thread

:grin: Trust me...I won't be skyblasting any turkeys !

This fall I shot several geese with #2 Hevi-shot at 30-32- 35 yards..verified with range finder. the 2# Hevi did not always pass through..Geese are tough... shots were flying birds over the decoys.. 1 1/2 oz #2 hevi-shot 95 fff-Graf's BP out of a dbl. 10 ga. Pedersoli......My conclusion for these experiences would be stick to neck-head shots 5 or 6's on the big birds.

The thought of pushing feathers and debris through the turkey breast does not appeal to me.
and Crowns running 700 to 850 Denero's is a great deterrent.

Wisconsin limits shot size to 4's and smaller...I have been swatted by #8 lead at 30 yards..still carry 14 of them.. and could only imagine the pain involved if shot with a larger pellet.

Your idea of a 32 rb has merit..sounds like a good excuse to go to the range....Yes! Have fun with this and post your happy load results.....Dan

makeumsmoke said:

I have been swatted by #8 lead at 30 yards..still carry 14 of them.. and could only imagine the pain involved if shot with a larger pellet.

.....Dan

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Sounds like someone needs a different grouse hunting partner Dan! :shocked2: :shake:

Here in NY the largest shot we can use is #2. I have experimented with them and found them to pattern pretty inconsistently. If I am close enough to reliably put a few 2s in the vitals,I may as well be pointing 4s or 5s at the head.

:haha: Just saying they are tough birds :v

I know...and I've done the normal head shot thing...just thinking about other possibilities, trying to think outside the box for the heck of it

If nothing else, its a great reason to work up a load, thats half the fun anyway :v

#4 head & neck.

I'm also a NYer and forbidden from using anything but shot.

having shot several with a modern 10ga with both 4's and 6's i can tell you for a fact that they will run if hit in the body, you will roll them over and when you are just getting up to run over step on his neck, they will get up and run like a scalded dog. head and neck shots only, otherwise larger shot will just mangle the meat.

medic302 said:

having shot several with a modern 10ga with both 4's and 6's i can tell you for a fact that they will run if hit in the body, you will roll them over and when you are just getting up to run over step on his neck, they will get up and run like a scalded dog.

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What were the distances?
Did you shoot them from the front, side, back?

I definitely would have guessed that about 6s...heck they can be iffy just shooting crows.
Wasn't sure about 4's because others have posted on another forum that they use 4's for body shots.
And I'd already made up my mind if I do any range work to experiment it would be with one of the very large size shot like BB/BBB/0/T, etc.

I give away all game that I take so no matter if a large shot size might damage a little meat, it's still all free to them...this thread is just trying to think outside the box regarding what it would take for successful body shots on turkey.

Of the turkeys that you took using very large size shot that damaged a lot of meat:
What was the large shot size?
How many turkeys did you take that way?
What were those distances?
Did you shoot them from the front, sides, or back?